Damon&Elena Through the flames
by LivLoveDelena
Summary: Elena is attacked by Rebekah in a jealous rage. Damon is trapped inside the Salvatore mansion by a spell. Elena keeps Damon company while she recovers from her injuries. Takes place after the Originals Ball in season 3
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER** 1

_(This takes place a little while after the Originals Dance) Rated M  
_

Elena sighed as she looked herself in the mirror.. Tying her hair into a high pony tail, she thought deeply about all the things that had taken place recently. So many things had been happening. She kept wondering how things had gotten so complicated. She took a second to gather herself and headed out the door, grabbing her bag on the way. Her phone rang, it was Damon. This was about the 8th time he had called her this morning. She kept ignoring it, but she knew she would have to answer him eventually. He'd sent her a text earlier saying that they really needed to talk. She disagreed. The last thing they needed to do was get into ANOTHER fight. She knew she had really hurt him the other night at The Mikaelson's dance. The words just slipped out of her mouth. She hadn't meant them the way they sounded. But she knew that's how he'd taken it. The look on his face… pure pain. It was all she thought about that night and the next morning. She had felt so terrible about everything. For asking for Stefan's help behind his back.. Then having Stefan literally BREAK his back.. All so she could talk to Esther for 20 minutes. But she knew it was the right thing to do. The originals were finally vulnerable. This chance wasn't gonna come around again. And she knew Damon would never have let her go in by herself. She couldn't have taken the risk of something happening because he was worried about her. But Rebekah.. Rebekah of ALL people! Just the thought made her stomach hurt. What the hell was he thinking? A part of her knew it was just to get back at her. And she deserved it she supposed. 'I mean, what did I expect him to do?' she thought, 'Did I expect him to go home and cry? Drink a blood bag and be back to his normal, snarky self by morning?' She didn't know why this even bothered her so badly anyway. It's just Damon.. Why did she care who he sleeps around with? But deep down she knew… The amount of hurt she felt when she saw them together at his front door. She immediately realized what had happened.. And it killed her. The way Rebekah looked at her didn't help either. She looked.. Down on her.. Like she was some unclean peasant that needed to be sent away. Not good enough to be in her presence. Elena had felt humiliated the whole way back to her house. Shocked and confused about it all. She just couldn't understand why Damon picked her. HER! 'She tried to KILL me ! More than once! Doesn't that mean anything to him?' Elena wondered. A fire roared up in Elena's belly. She had to stop. This train of thought was pointless. All it would do was make things worse. She couldn't bring herself to answer her phone after that. They hadn't talked in almost 4 days. But she just couldn't bring herself to press the green button.. To hear his voice. He would say something and she knew she would cave. She'd forgive him and everything would be okay again. She didn't want it to be okay.. He really hurt her. She made up her mind she wasn't gonna let this one go.

"Elena?" She was startled out of her trance by Alaric staring at her from her couch. She realized she'd been standing there staring at her phone for who knows how long.

"Oh, morning, Rick," She said as she shoved her phone into her pocket.

"You alright?" He asked, looking a little worried, "Yeah.. yeah I'll be fine." She answered, attempting to ease his mind with a slight smile. "I'm off to Caroline's. She needs to talk to me." She said while slipping on her flip-flops.

"Isn't that what cell-phones are for? It's 8:00 in the morning," he said,

"She said it had something to do with Klaus? It didn't sound like a conversation to have on the phone." Elena replied.

"Klaus? Since when does Caroline know something about him that we don't?" He said with a sigh. He looked tired. Elena could tell he wasn't sleeping well. Sometimes she'd hear him up at night, watching TV or walking around.

"Yeah I don't know. But I'll call you if its anything important."

"Yeah, ok." He said shortly. She gave him a long look before grabbing her keys. She worried about him. Something just hadn't been the same about him for a while. She wished she knew how to help. "Ok well she's waiting for me so I better get going. I doubt I'll be back for lunch, so just do whatever." she stated.

"Ok," He answered. She started out the door when she heard him shout after her, "OH! Hey! Damon said to have you call him."

She just rolled her eyes and shouted back a 'Whatever' as she closed the door. She knew Alaric would understand.

Later that afternoon, Elena got back into her car and headed for the Mikaelson Manor.

She couldn't believe what Caroline had just spent hours telling her. She was convinced it was some sort of trick. And Klaus was sure as hell not going to bring Caroline into his sick, twisted mind games. Elena would make sure of that.

She knew it was probably stupid to go alone. But she knew no one would let her come if she'd told them.

Her excuse to leave Caroline was that her and Alaric had lunch plans. She didn't like lying to her friend.. But she didn't have a choice. Klaus was NOT getting Caroline involved in all this.

She started to get a little squirmy as she pulled into the long driveway. The house looked so much different in the light. And without all the lights and decorations it looked.. Creepy.

She was determined though. 'No turning back now, ' she thought to herself as she stepped onto the porch and rang the huge doorbell.

The wait seemed eternal until she heard the door began to creak open. To her surprise, it wasn't Klaus who answered. It was someone much worse…


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"_Elenaaa!" _Rebekah cooed, "What a coincidence… I was just thinking about you." Elena just stared at her for a moment before responding "Oh really?" she said crossing her arms, hoping it would hide how fast her heart was racing.

"Yeah.. I couldn't decide if I should kill you quickly, or if I should make it last." Rebekah smirked, and Elena's heart stopped dead in its tracks… She froze. She couldn't move or breathe.. It was like everything had slowed down. She could tell Rebekah was enjoying this by the slight grin that rested on her chin. She continued, "I just got off with Damon," She said, holding up her phone, "I just have one question.. Is it fun having him on such a short leash?"

"What are you talking about?" Elena questioned,

"Oh don't play stupid with me. You might have your little friends fooled but I see right through your little act." Rebekah stepped closer to her, "You disgust me. Toying with them the way you do.. I don't get why everyone is so in love with the precious little doppelganger. From what I've seen, your no better than Katherine." Rebekah was a mere few inches away from Elena's face, She could feel the heat of Rebekah's breath. Elena tried stepping back but every time she did, Rebekah would take another step forward, leaving the same amount of distance between them as before. "I should end you. I'd be doing everyone a favor."

"I'M like Katherine?," Elena spouted out, "You're the one so desperate for attention that you sleep with the first thing you can get your hands on." Elena tried to stop herself but the words just kept pouring out, "At least I'm not the one who can't find a SINGLE guy to go for. But that's probably part of your attention problem too, isn't it? Does stealing other peoples things make you feel superior? Well I'm sorry to inform you, but, whatever you thought you had with Damon, you were wrong. He doesn't care about you. He used you. He used you for a distraction and to get back at me. That's all you were to him. A distraction." Elena knew the minute she'd said it, it was a mistake. She saw the anger in Rebekah's eyes flare devilishly. Next thing she knew, she was thrown across the yard landing on her back. The wind completely knocked out of her lungs. She saw Rebekah coming towards her and she tried to stand up but her legs wouldn't work. She started to crawl but she knew it was no use. Rebekah had her by her hair within seconds. Elena let out a yell as Rebekah yanked her onto her feet by her roots. "You filthy little blight!" Rebekah screamed into her face, "You don't get to speak to me that way!" She rammed Elena down onto the steps of the porch. Elena felt something snap in her shoulder and she screamed out in pain. Rebekah had jammed her so hard into the steps that Elena felt it cut into her skin, leaving a cold damp feeling dripping down her back. She knew she had to get help, NOW. If Rebekah smelled her blood there would be no stopping her. She wrestled her hand into her pocket and tried to dial someone, anyone. Finally she glimpsed to see her phone was calling Stefan. All she could do now was pray.

. . .

"Hey," Stefan said as he answered Elena's call, "Ahhh!" he heard Elena screaming, fear washed over him.

"Elena?" … No response, only screaming. "Elena! Where are you? What's going on?" Then he heard a muffled reply, "Rebekah!.. NO! Get off me!" He knew instantly where she was, "Elena, hold on! I'm on my way!"

Damon was lying on his bed, looking over some of the Gilbert family journals Elena had lent him. His ears picked up a commotion downstairs. It sounded like Stefan was yelling.. He decided he better go check it out. He swooshed down the steps and within a matter of seconds he was blocking Stefan's way to the front door. "Whoa, hold up. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Damon asked, "Outta my way Damon!" Stefan forcibly moved Damon out of the way and was gone in a blink.

Damon had no idea what was going on.. But he could tell whatever it was, wasn't good.

Rebekah had found and smashed Elena's phone shortly after she dialed Stefan. She had no idea if he heard her. She felt completely helpless… Rebekah had dragged her into the house, sinking her razor sharp finger nails into her arms. She was now tied up to a chair in what looked like the main hall. Rebekah walked around her in circles.. Sneering at her. "Now THIS is more like it." She said, "and I hope you don't think Damon is going to come running in and save you. Because I assure you," She leaned in close to Elena's face, "He's not." Elena felt tears pricking her eyes. She blinked them away, she would NOT let Rebekah see her cry. "Your so pathetic." Rebekah spat, "I'm really going to enjoy this." Elena pushed down the fear and just stared at her, as if daring her to try something. Rebekah smirked and left the room, gagging Elena before she went. Elena scratched at the ropes around her. Trying desperately to break loose. What if Stefan hadn't heard her? What if he wouldn't find her in time? What if… She stopped that train of thought immediately. It wouldn't do any good to start freaking out. She needed to find a way out of here. She kept tussling with the ropes, frantically trying to get free. Just then she heard a noise coming from the window behind her.

She shifted in her chair to see Stefan climbing in. She sighed aloud, relief flooding her body.

"Elena! What the hell happened?" Stefan asked, as he untied her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think. I came to see Klaus and then Rebekah answered and she was spouting off about Damon and I just snapped. It all happened so fast!"

Stefan stared at her for a second, "You what? Elena…" He sighed.. " C'mon, we can talk about this when we get outta here." He started to help her up and she cried out in pain, "What? What's wrong?" Stefan asked. "I don't know, its my shoulder or something.." He picked her up and swooshed them out the front door. Soon they were on route to the hospital. Elena sighed as she looked out the window, so glad to be free.

"So you gonna tell me what happened?" Stefan asked, glancing at her from the drivers seat. Elena sighed. She started to tell him everything. She told him about Klaus's sudden interest in Caroline, and about all the things he was doing for her. She told him about the bracelet, the dress, and the drawing. Stefan just sat in silence as she explained how she had gotten so upset, and decided to go see Klaus. Then Rebekah answering the door and the conversation about Damon… Elena decided not to tell him

her full response to Rebekah. She didn't want him making any assumptions. By the time she was finished they had pulled into the ER parking lot. "Okay, look.. We'll deal with this. And by 'We' I mean Damon and I. I don't want you going anywhere near Rebekah OR Klaus. Got it?"

Elena shook her head. He helped her into the ER and sat her down as he filled out some paper work. Soon a Nurse came and took Elena into an observation room.

Stefan looked down at his phone, he had 11 missed calls, all from Damon. He sighed and told Elena he would be back in a minute. The phone rang as he walked outside.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"SHE WHAT? Damn it, Elena!" Damon was furious. What the hell was she thinking? But part of his anger was mixed with guilt. Rebekah never would've hurt her if it hadn't been for him. He sighed inwardly as Stefan explained everything that Elena had told him. "I can't believe this… And what would Klaus possibly want from Caroline?" He asked Stefan,

"Honestly? I have no idea. It doesn't make sense. But then again, its Klaus. So who knows." Stefan replied.

"Alright.. How's Elena? Do they know what's wrong?" Damon asked, Stefan could hear the worry thick in his words. "No, not yet. They just took her in for some X-rays. She said the pain was in her shoulder. I'm sure we'll have answers soon." Stefan said.

"Alright, I'm on my way." Damon stated, grabbing his jacket off the chair.

"You don't have to come Damon, I've got this. I'll call you when I know something." Stefan said, slightly irritated.

"No offense Steff, but hell no. I'm gonna be there for her, just like I have been all summer. Besides this whole mess is partly my fault anyway. I'll be there in 10." Damon said, hanging up. He snatched his keys off the table and headed out the door…. Or at least he tried. Damon's foot was stopped abruptly by an invisible force. "What the hell?" he said quizzically, and tried again. Still no luck. He couldn't get past the threshold. He stood there for a second, thinking. Then it hit him. "Rebekah." he said flatly. He cursed out loud as he dialed her number.

"Hello love," He heard her say with waay to much enthusiasm in her voice.

"Mmmh Hi.. What did you do?" he asked, with his sarcastic grin.

"Whatever do you mean, dahling?" She said, he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Don't play dumb with me, Rebekah. We're past the games." He said, losing patience quickly.

"You're right. We are past the games. Consider this… oh, I don't know.. Payback?" she snarled.

"What are we, 12?" He snapped,

"Well at least one of us is." She replied.

"Look.. I don't have time for this. Whatever you did, undo it….I got better things to do then to argue with you." He snarked.

"See? Now that's the kind of talk that got you in this predicament in the first place. You obviously don't learn very fast now do you?" She answered.

He sighed, "Fine. You win.. What do you want, Rebekah?"

"You know? I'll have to think about that. I'll get back to you." She said, hanging up.

"Damn it!" He threw his jacket on the floor and cursed under his breath. He dialed Stefan again.

"Hey," Stefan answered.

"So.." Damon said, squinting his eyes, "I have a slight problem."

. . .

"All set?" Stefan asked as Elena got into the car. "Yeah, thanks." She replied.

"So what happened again?" Elena asked, "Damon is stuck inside by some kind of spell?"

Stefan started the car and headed back to the Salvatore house. "Yeah. Apparently it was Rebekah. I'm gonna drop you off there and then go talk to someone who might know how to help." Stefan told her.

"Well what about Bonnie?" Elena asked,

"I already talked to her. She's got a lot on her plate right now. The last thing she wants to do is spend her time and energy to help Damon. Not that I blame her."

Elena got quiet after that.. Hardly saying anything the whole way back to the house. After what seemed like and eternity, he pulled into the driveway. Elena could see that just about every light was on. "What, Is he afraid of the dark or something?" Elena asked with a grin, "He doesn't really do the whole waiting thing very well." Stefan answered.

They walked inside to see Damon lying on the couch, a glass of bourbon in one hand, and a book in the other.

"It's about time," he said, hopping off the couch, laying the book down but still carrying the glass lightly in one hand, "Any longer and I would've ran out of bourbon." He looked straight at Elena, then his eyes moved to the cast the was around her arm. His face got sober and he just looked at her with those puppy eyes. Those eyes said a million things to her without actually talking. She could see he felt guilty, the weight of what happened between them still heavy on both their shoulders. An awkward silence hung in the air. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but words completely escaped him. She was the same way. She felt like she needed to say something.. anything.. But she just couldn't find her breath. "Okay," Stefan said, finally breaking the silence, and breaking Damon and Elena's eye contact. "I'm gonna grab some stuff and head out.. I don't know how long I'll be. This could take a while." Stefan looked right at Damon, "You got this?" it wasn't even a question that needed to be asked, but Damon shook his head anyway, and they stared for a few moments. Silently acknowledging each other.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Elena rested on the couch by the fireplace, deep in thought… She was startled out of it when she realized Damon was standing in the entryway, just watching her. "You okay?" He asked, those being the first words they had spoken since Stefan left.

"Yeah.. just a little banged up. It's not too bad." She answered, avoiding eye contact with him. She kept telling herself she was mad at him.. She needed to stay mad. But for some reason it was so hard when he looked at her like that.

"Well that cast says otherwise," He said, coming closer to the couch, "You need anything? Water? A blanket? Or.. Soup?" She smiled at the last one.. She knew he was just being stupid. That seemed to ease the tention a little. "No," She said, finally giving in and looking at him, "Thanks."

One look. One look was all it took. It was like a wave rushing over her. All the tension between them sat out in the open. She knew they needed to talk about it, but she didn't know what to say.

"Look," He started, "About what happened.." He paused before going on, just looking at her, "I know I made some pretty stupid choices. And I hurt you..I just wanted to say I'm sorry."Elena suddenly felt guilty, "No," she said, "You don't have to apologize. You don't have anything to apologize for." He stopped her, "No, Elena.. I do. The fact is, none of this would've happened if it wasn't for me. I'm responsible. She hurt you because of what I did. And I really just need you to know.." This time it was her that interrupted him, "Damon, its okay. I'm the one who was stupid enough to go there in the first place. I brought this on myself."

He looked at her, eyes full of pity and worry. It wasn't often he would show so much emotion. He only ever seemed to open up like this when he was around her. But she didn't mind. It was good to see this side of him. "Well either way… I just figured you should know." he said, looking down at the floor, then back up to her.

"Thanks," She said with a slight smile. He gave her a half smile in response. They just stayed that way for a while. Letting it all sink in.

They talked for hours after that. It seemed like it had been weeks instead of days that they hadn't spoken. It was dark outside when Stefan finally called. Damon answered it and went out of the room for a while.

"So, Stefan's gonna be gone a while longer." Damon said, plopping down on the chair across from her,

"Apparently his source is gonna be harder to track down than he thought… So you're probably gonna be here all night." He told her.

"Kay" She said with a little yawn. She didn't really know how to feel about that, and she was too tired to figure it out.

"Come on sleeping beauty,. I'll get you set up in a spare room." He said, standing up and heading for the stairs. She gathered up her strength and followed him.

Damon walked past his room down about 3 doors and opened one, he flipped the light switch on to see nothing but cobwebs and bookshelves. "Oh.. Well this one's out of the question." he said, and continued down the hall. Every room they came to either had nothing but books and dust, or it was full of furniture. After they had tried almost all of them, Damon glanced back to see Elena barely keeping her head up. "Okay.. You can have my room. I probably wasn't gonna get much sleep tonight anyway. Something bout the being locked in here. Makes me itchy." he said, scrunching his nose up in a way that only Damon could. For some reason it struck Elena funny and she gave him a huge smile. She had missed him. She could tell he was surprised she hadn't said something about taking his room. He probably expected her to put up a fight, and end up on the couch. But she was entirely too tired to argue.

He lead her into his room and walked into a closet. He came back out seconds later with some heavy blankets and laid them at the end of the bed. "Here's some extra just in case you need them." He looked at her, noticing her clothes. Her shirt was covered in dry blood, and her jeans were ripped in certain places. "Umm.." He shifted uncomfortably, something he hardly ever did, "I don't think Stefan thought to stop and get you any clothes."

She looked down, realizing just how disgusting she looked. Then she remembered. "Oh my god, Alaric! He doesn't know what happened! I told him I was gonna be with Caroline-" Damon stopped her, "I already called him. He knows what happened."

"Oh," she sighed, "Good. Thank you."

"No problem," He said quickly, "Here..I have a few things you can sleep in." He stated, heading to his dresser drawers, "I mean if you want.. Or if you'd prefer something of Steffy's?" She didn't really know how to respond to that. She didn't feel comfortable wearing something of Stefan's.. It would just bring back memories.. Memories she couldn't afford to think about right now. But then again, it was still awkward to take something of Damon's.. Although, she was curious to see what he would give her. Knowing him he'd give her a white T-shirt that would barely cover anything. And he'd make some snarky comment about it.. But she didn't see any other choice. "Whatever you give me is fine," she hesitated, "…And could I use the shower?" She looked at him reluctantly, preparing herself for one of his remarks, "I cleaned up a little at the hospital but.. I still have blood everywhere."

About 30 different comments came to his mind, one's that on any other night, he would've said in a heartbeat. But he just looked at her, she looked exhausted. He didn't want to put her through anything else today. It was the last thing she needed from him.

"Yeah, its right in there." He said, surprising her. He motioned her to follow him, but she stopped.

"That's it? No snarky comment? Nothing about wearing your clothes or sleeping in your bed?"

He grinned his famous grin, "Well.. If you want me to-" He said raising his eyebrows at her,

She just rolled her eyes, "No.. Thanks."

He chuckled slightly, "You asked."

"Is there something you wanted to show me?" She said, trying to change the subject. Shaking her head at him when he turned around.

"Wash cloths are in that cabinet, towels are in this one." he said, pointing them out. "I'll go get you something to change into." He said, walking back out into his room. Elena looked around and sighed. She lifted herself onto the counter and rested her head against the wall. Taking a moment to steady herself. She was exhausted. She just needed a shower, and some warm sheets. The thought alone was putting her to sleep.

Damon walked back in to see her dozing off, her head lagging against the wall. He took the moment to stare at her. Even bloody and tired she still looked beautiful. Perfect face, cute tangley hair, gorgeous everything. She took his breath away just sitting there. She stirred a little and he came in closer to her, making sure she didn't fall off the counter. "Elena?" He whispered, lightly moving a stand of hair away from her face, "Hey.." he said softly. She opened her eyes and shot up, realizing how close he was to her. "What?" she asked, trying to collect herself. She wasn't expecting him to be so close. His face was only a few inches from hers. "I brought you some clothes." He said laying them beside her on the bar. "Thanks." she said, sliding herself off the counter onto the floor. When she did her knees buckled, loosing her balance. Damon caught her within seconds. "Whoaa.. Take it easy." He said holding her tightly in his arms for a minute, then slowly setting her back on her feet. She let her face sink into his shoulder and she smelt him. He smelt to good. It was a manly smell.. But sweet too. It was almost impossible to describe. But she loved it. "You okay?" He asked pulling her back to look at her face. "Yeah.. I'll be fine." she said, rubbing her head and letting go of him, "Just stood up too fast."

He gave her a worried look. She just shook her head, letting him know she could take it from here. He understood and walked out, glancing back at her as he went. When she heard him shut the bedroom door she let out a sigh. Finally, she could breathe again.

She got everything ready for her shower. But before she stepped in she decided to look at what he had brought for her. She unfolded a long black John Vervados V-neck T-shirt and a pair of her old cheerleading shorts. She must've left them in Stefan's room at one time. She smiled as she set them back down. She reached in and turned on the hot water.

. . .

Damon waited. He had been listening to the water run for about 15 minutes. He thought about what had just happened. It could've been his imagination.. but he swore he heard her heart beat pick up when he touched her in there. But he pushed that thought away. She was probably just startled. Suddenly the sound of running water went silent. He waited about 10 minutes after that before he headed back up to the room. He knocked on the door before opening it, just to let her know he was coming in. She walked out of the bathroom as he came in. "Feel better?" He asked, eyeing her.. The sight of her in his shirt made his breath hitch slightly in his throat. "Yes, much." she said, running a towel through her wet hair, "Thanks for the clothes."

"They look good on you," he said, with a tainted smile. She just gave him a sideways look. He walked over to the bed and turned down the sheets for her. "Okay, your all set. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna take a shower myself. I'll be quick." He said, marching into the closet again. She watched him as he went until she couldn't see him anymore. Elena climbed into his bed and pulled the soft sheets over her. She sighed with exhaustion as she laid her head down onto his pillow. Once again she smelled him. She inhaled, breathing in his scent. It brought a grin to her face, and she didn't know why. She reached over and turned off the bedside lamp. Getting comfortable again.

She was just drifting off when she saw him come out of the closet again. This time he was shirtless. She watched him as he walked over to his dresser drawer and pulled out a few things. The light from the bathroom was the only way she could see him. She took a second to take him in.. All of him. She started with his back, then to his chest, down to his abs.. then she remembered that day back in the summer when she had seen what was below that belt buckle. She blushed at the thought, heat rising to her cheeks, flooding over her. She stopped herself immediately when she realized what she was doing. She shut her eyes hard, her heart pounding loudly. She tried to get it to stop, afraid he might pick up on it. But it was too late for that.

Damon paused for a second. He had been listening the whole time. Her heart beat was normal, then it had started to pick up, as he kept walking he heard it getting faster and faster. He smiled, not knowing for certain, but he had a good theory as to what was happening. He enjoyed his shower. Taking extra long, just to think.

Elena had calmed down a little bit. Gaining control of herself. She'd dozed off again, drifting into a light dream. In her dream she was running through the town, searching for something. She had the nagging feeling that something was after her. That she was on a time limit. She had to find whatever she needed before she was caught. Then she saw it. It was a rose. A blood red rose. It was just lying there on the grass. She reached her hand out to grab it, when she felt something pulling her away. She screamed out but her voice was gone. She was suffocating. Just then, a fanged face flashed in front of her. It was Stefan. He snarled and grabbed her by the neck. He was just about to bite into her when she bolted awake. Panting softly, scared to death. She laid her head back down onto the pillow.

Just then she saw Damon coming out of the bathroom. Still shirtless. He looked over at her for a second. Then started out the door.

"Damon?" she whispered.

He froze. Then he slowly turned around to stare at her on his bed. She had said his name without even thinking. Now she didn't know what else to say. Should she ask him to stay? After that dream, she was terrified. She really didn't want to be alone.

But luckily, she didn't have to say a thing. As if he already knew, he was beside the bed in a matter of seconds.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern all over his face. She took a deep breath. "It.. It's nothing. It was just a dream." her heart sank. Cursing herself for not having the balls to ask him to stay. But it was like he had read her mind again. He looked at her for a second, then walked over to the other side of the bed. He lifted the blankets, and laid down comfortably beside her. She sighed. Grateful he had.. But at the same time, a little nervous. Not really knowing what to say. Her back was to him. But she could feel him, only inches away from her. She felt his breath, sometimes it would drift to the back of her neck. Making her hair stand on end. It was comforting to have him here. She relaxed a little. But she couldn't go back to sleep. She was wide awake now. Concentrating on him. Every move, every shift under the blankets. Suddenly, she felt him against her. Not really knowing who made the first move. But now his chest was against her back, and his arm folded over her, pulling her tightly to him. He was still a little damp from his shower. She felt the cold water from him on her clothes. What was she doing? This was crazy.

He nuzzled his face into the back of her neck, and she forgot what she was thinking. She was glad. So glad that he was here. Just then she felt his lips brush her neck. She shivered and a silent want washed over her. She could hardly breathe. She shut her eyes again, hoping that would help. But it didn't. Her mind went fuzzy. His lips just rested there.. On her neck. She relaxed into him. Their body's conforming to fit each other. His grip on her never loosened. And they just lay there. In perfect bliss. Elena was surprised at how comfortable she felt in his arms. It was like she had been there a million times before. His hand started stoking her arm, and heat flooded her cheeks once again. This was wrong. What was she doing?

He sighed. She felt it and heard it at the same time. He was happy. Content just lying here with her. Deep down she knew she was too. So for now, Elena let it go. She let it all go. All the worry about what this means, all the worry about what people would think. She let it all go away. She sighed too, a sort of response to him.

Damon didn't know what to do. He was torn between not knowing whether he should say something, or just lay here. She felt so good against him. She hadn't told him to let her go. She didn't try to stop him. He could hear her heartbeat going crazy. It was all he could do to keep himself from turning her over and kissing her. He wanted her so badly. But he knew he couldn't.. If they ever kissed again, she would have to be the one to do it. He clearly left that ball in her court. So he decided to be content with this. It wasn't hard to do. He continued to stroke her arm and savored her smell as his lips rested on her neck. How did they even get here? Just 24 hours ago they weren't even speaking to each other. Now she was in his bed, in his shirt and in his arms. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so good. Holding her made everything else seem dull. He took a small risk… He lifted his mouth up for a fraction of a second, then placed it back down. As if to give her a tiny kiss. As soon as he did, Elena's hand gripped his, hard. It shocked him. And he did it again. He heard a soft breathy sigh come out of her. His head reeled. Did he just hear that? Was it a good thing? He needed to know, so he did it one more time. Except this time he did it in a different spot. He lightly touched his lips right below her ear. And he heard her inhale sharply. That was all it took for him.

Elena couldn't believe she had just did that. But she couldn't help it. It was like she was possessed. Those sigh's had involuntarily left her mouth. And she couldn't even find the will to stop him. She felt his hand move from stroking her arm, to touching her stomach. He pulled her closer to him. If that was even possible. She couldn't breathe. Her heart was racing so fast she could hear it. He continued kissing her neck. Longer kisses this time. All up down the line of her shirt. She was grabbing his hand. She would squeeze it harder every time he hit a soft spot. Damon didn't stop. He realized why she was squeezing his hand, so he would kiss those spots again. Harder every time. She was breathing heavily now. Feeling like she was about to explode. Damon shifted himself slightly, so he could reach more of her with his lips. He was kissing the front side of her neck now. His hair was all she could see. She was breathing so heavily now that she could hardly take it.

"Damon," she whispered.

He stopped for a second and looked at her. Their eyes met. Both of them breathing heavily. She didn't know what to do. She was drowning in his eyes. The raw passion there was so deep. She shifted her self. Now he was basically on top of her. He inched closer to her.. Looking at her lips. She saw hunger on his face. But not for blood. She let her eyes drift to his lips as well. They were parted slightly, ready to pounce if she'd let him. She glanced one last time into his eyes. Getting utterly lost in them. She swallowed hard and parted her lips too. She took a deep breath, shoving down all the screams of doubt that were in her head. She lifted her face to his. Their foreheads touching. They were breathing into each other. She knew he was waiting for her. He wouldn't kiss her first. Not this time. Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She let out a heavy sigh and kissed his lips. Everything else melted away. It was a short kiss, and they both sighed as they broke apart. But the distance didn't last long. Damon kissed her again, and she welcomed him. He kissed her fiercely, causing her head to lay back onto the bed. He followed her down. His hands roamed her body. And she let out little burst of air.. She ran her hands through his hair and grabbed it, pulling his whole body down onto hers. She felt his tongue touch her lip, and she opened her mouth fully, letting him in. He kissed her deep. His tongue dancing with hers. She felt his hands stop at the bottom of her shirt. His fingers lifted it slightly and brushed her skin. She inhaled hard. But he didn't go any further than that. Instead he let his hand wonder more. They ended up on her butt. He grabbed it hard and let it go. She gave another involuntary moan. Damon's lips left hers and glided down her neck. She breathed hard, enjoying every touch of his lips on her skin. His lips reached her chest and she grabbed the sheets. Inhaling deeply as he searched her. Kissing everywhere he could. She put her hands on his bare back, letting them feel his hard muscles. She went from his back, to his abs, then worked her way up to his chest. Damon lifted his head and placed another kiss on her lips.

Suddenly Elena felt something vibrate. She let out a little cry, confused and incredibly turned on. Damon rolled off of her and shoved his hand down into his pocket. He pulled out his phone….

It was Stefan.

_(Thanks for reading. If these chapters get a good response I would be happy to write more.. So please review)_


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Damon breathed heavily. Starring at his phone. Not really knowing what he should do.

The name 'Stefan' seared into his brain. He took a quick glance at Elena. She was just lying there. Starring at the ceiling. Her clothes ruffled and her chest moving up and down , taking in ragged breaths. The phone continued to vibrate in Damon's hand. He took in a deep sigh and pressed the green button.

"Stefan," He said it as more of a statement than a question.

"What's going on? It took you forever to pick up. And where's Elena?"

Damon sat up, glancing at Elena again. She wouldn't look at him. She still had her eyes locked on the ceiling.

"Uhm.." Damon faltered, something that hardly ever happened, "Elena's in bed."

She shot up and looked at him then. Fear in her eyes. He could see she was worried. Her eyes silently begging him not to tell Stefan what had just happened. He wouldn't have of course. Even if he was still bad Stefan, Damon had more sense than to drop a bomb like that.

"Oh.." He heard Stefan mumble, "Well then what took you so long to answer?" Stefan asked again.

"I was in the shower. " Damon answered hesitantly.

There was a pause.

"Are you alright Damon?… You sound funny."

Damon could hear the suspicion in Stefan's voice. He cursed himself under his breath. He usually did a better job at lying. But after what had just happened, he was having a hard time thinking straight.

"I'm fine, Steff. Relax." He said with his best nonchalant voice, "Is there a reason you interrupted my 5 minutes of hot heaven?" He asked with a smirk, unbeknownst to Stefan.. he wasn't talking about his shower. Damon looked at Elena as he said it, giving her his best flirty eye. She rolled hers in return and got up off the bed. Straightening her clothes as she did.

"Yeah, I found my source. She's agreed to help. She made me a list of things we're gonna need. I'm out getting them now. As soon as I'm done we'll be heading back. So you shouldn't have to wait much longer."

Damon looked up to see Elena walking out of the room.

"Oh, well I'm holding up fine. No need to hurry. Elena's been keeping me… Entertained." Damon smiled. Loving that Stefan had no idea to what he was referring to.

"Right…" Stefan paused, "Well anyway, I just thought I'd let you know."

"Thanks.. Toodles." Damon smirked as he hung up the phone and threw it down on the bed. He took a second to process what had just happened. He let out a heavy sigh. Did they really just do that? His lips still tingled from touching her skin. He remembered every second of it. Going through every detail in his mind. Her heavy sighs, her hands roaming over his body. He found his chest constricting and his breathing became shallow. He stood up. Not really sure what to do next. Should he go after her? Should he give her some space? What did this mean? All these thoughts were spinning around his head. Damn, Stefan. He just had to call and interrupt that. But then Damon's thoughts were joined with something else. Guilt.

Why did he feel guilty? It wasn't like he had taken advantage of her. She did kiss HIM after all. And Stefan obviously didn't care anymore. He had been released from Klaus's compulsion for a while now. He had every chance to get back with Elena. Instead he chose revenge. So what did he have to feel guilty about?

Damon sighed. He knew that it didn't matter what excuses he came up with… Stefan was still his brother. And for just that reason, Damon felt guilty.

He couldn't take this anymore. He wasn't this guy. He didn't sit around and brood about his feelings like his brother. Damon stood up. He was going to find Elena.

.**. . . **

Elena sat on the Salvatore couch once again. Starring at the dimmed fireplace. Unable to finish a single thought. Every time her mind wondered it would always lead her back to Damon. And what had just happened on his bed. How could she do that? What was she thinking? … On the other hand… It had felt so good. And she hated herself for admitting that. She wiped a single tear away that had fallen onto her cheek. A conversation between her and Caroline suddenly flashing through her mind.

"God, Just admit it Elena! Okay? You are attracted to him, in all of his bad brother glory."

"No.." Elena had said, shaking her head,

"Wait, 'No' you're not attracted to him? Or 'No' you just won't admit it?"

Elena had snapped, "I can't Caroline! If I admit it … If I even let the thought in for just a second … What does that say about me?"

Caroline gave her a look of pity, "It says your human, Elena."

Then Caroline's father had interrupted the slightly awkward interaction.

Elena sighed out loud. Bringing herself back to reality. Was it okay? Stefan had broken up with her. He almost killed her on the same bridge where her parent's had died. He was free from Klaus's compulsion and yet.. He hadn't changed. He wasn't the same Stefan she fell in love with. She had tried… She had tried so many times to get him to come back. To face all this. She was ready to work it out. But that never seemed to matter to him. He didn't care anymore. It was all too much. She let the tears freely fall down her face. All the stress of this day flooding over her. She let her head hang and cried for what seemed like hours. Little had she known that Damon stood there. Silently watching her from the stairway.

He didn't know what to do. The sight of her crying brought his dead heart to life. He felt for her. All he wanted to do was hold her. Comfort her in any way he could. But he had a nagging feeling that would only make the situation worse. So he stayed put.

He felt sadness welling up inside him as he saw her shoulder's start shaking. He couldn't take anymore and walked into the living room. Slowly stepping towards her. He didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but he had to try. He had slipped a shirt on before coming down. Not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable than she probably already was. He carefully sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Hoping she wouldn't push him away.

And she didn't. She just shook harder. He pulled her tightly to him, letting her sob. Her cries weren't silent anymore. She let it all out. She hid her face deeper into his chest.

He just held her close and stroked her hair. He didn't know how else to help. Nothing he would say could make this better. Telling her it would be okay was stupid. To her it probably felt like nothing would ever be okay again. He finally settled on saying 'I'm sorry.'

He said it over and over again. More times than he ever had in his unnaturally long life.

He felt tears pricking at his eyes. Those only ever seemed to come when he was around her. But he refused to let them fall. He would be strong. She needed him to be strong.

After a while her sobs had slowed and her breathing relaxed. He looked down to realize she was asleep. He smiled faintly and let the moment sink in. Content just holding her close to him. He continued stroking her hair for a while. Letting her head rest on his shoulder. She moaned a few times and shifted uncomfortably, So he decided to take her back to bed.

He was careful not to wake her as he lifted her limp body up off of the couch. He walked slowly up the stairs, making sure to avoid hitting her legs against the railing.

He made it up to his room and laid her down softly on his bed. Pulling the covers over her shoulders, making her as comfortable as possible.

She sighed and hugged the pillow underneath her head.

He just stood there. Watching her beautiful face as she slept. He had done this before, but there was just something about her tonight… It was different. He leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.

Turning to walk out of the room he heard her whisper what sounded like a 'Thank you.' and he smiled.

He didn't know what was gonna happen after tonight, and he really didn't care. All he could think about was the way she had kissed him. He could still taste her, even after all this time. He walked… Or more like strutted downstairs. The smell of her still fresh on his shirt. His chest still a little wet from her tears. He poured himself a glass of bourbon and sprawled out on the couch. Running his fingers through his hair, he thought about her intensely. Until finally he drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Elena woke with a jump. She heard a loud crash coming from downstairs.

It took her a second to realize where she was. She looked around her and immediately remembered everything. She remembered Rebekah, the fight, the hospital …. Damon.

She just shook her head and wiped the sleep away from her eyes. It was much to early in the morning to start thinking about it again. She dragged herself out of Damon's bed and stretched. Everything went fuzzy for a minute. She felt a slight pang of pain in her shoulder. She looked down and remembered she had taken her cast off when she took her shower last night. She must've been so tired she had forgotten to put it back on. She went straight to the bathroom, glancing at the clock on the wall to see what time it was. The clock said it was 8:12. When she reached the bathroom mirror she stared at herself in horror. She had dry mascara plastered under her eyes, her hair was a frizzy mess, and she had something dark on her neck. She leaned in to examined it closer… she freaked when she realized what it was.

A hickey.

Suddenly a rush of feelings rammed into her. Fear, worry, shock… and just the smallest hint of humor. Her lips wanted to curl into a slight smile but her conscience got the best of her.

What was she going to do? She had no makeup to cover it. No high collared shirts to hide it. Hell, She didn't even have any clothes. She was still in Damon's John Varvatos T-shirt and her gym shorts.

She sighed and washed her face. She attempted to straighten out her hair, but just gave up in frustration and tied it into a high pony tail.

She rinsed her mouth out. It was the best she could do. She didn't have any toothpaste or her toothbrush. When she decided she was as good as she could get she headed downstairs. She smelt food and her stomach growled angrily. She wondered into the kitchen to see what the source of the smell was.

Damon stood at the stove, his back to her.

"Bacon?" He asked, his voice was calm… Hard for her to read.

"Yeah… I'm starving." She answered, eyeing him cautiously. He acted fine. Like last night didn't even happen. She at least expected ONE snarky comment. But he just stood there. She couldn't tell if she was relieved or nervous about that.

She sat on the barstool and didn't say another word. Just watching him cook.

He moved gracefully around the kitchen, grabbing things without even looking. Throwing them onto the skillet. He was obviously making more than just bacon, but she couldn't see what it was.

"So Stefan said he would be back sometime today. He found a witch that knows about this stuff. They were running a scavenger hunt when I talked to him last. Apparently this spell requires a lot of crap." He said, throwing something else into the fryer, "You like omelets?" He asked, turning slightly to face her.

She snapped out of her trance and straightened herself, "Yeah.." was all she could manage.

He took a quick glance at her neck and turned around, smirking widely.

She noticed it and quickly covered the dark mark on her neck with her hand.

"So.. " Elena started, eager to get his mind on something else, "Would you mind if I borrowed your car? I figured I should probably run back to the house and check in on Rick. Plus I really need a change of clothes." Elena said hesitantly.

'And I really need to cover this thing on my neck ' she thought to herself.

"Well I don't know , Elena. You don't have the best track record when it comes to cars. Need I remind you of a certain car wreck I just happened to save you from?"

She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, so she just starred at him. "Is that a yes?" She asked blatantly. He smirked at her and shook his head. "Just eat some breakfast first. You need it." He placed a plate in front of her. He had made her bacon, an omelet and some mini pancakes. She started eating it quickly, her stomach rumbling in appreciation. After she was finished she washed it all down with a glass of orange juice. "Thanks," Elena stated, hopping off the stool and placing her plate in the sink. She tried to keep the left side of her face hidden from him. Hoping he couldn't see the hickey.

She grabbed her clothes from yesterday and Damon's keys. She gave him a quick 'Be back in a few.' and headed out the door, making her way back home.

**. . .**

"Rick?" Elena yelled as she walked in her front door, "Are you here?"

There wasn't an answer. She walked through the house searching for him.

She found a note on the kitchen table.

'_Elena, I had to go into school today. I have a few papers to grade. I should be back no later than 3:00 … Damon told me what happened. We should talk.'_

Elena froze. The first thing that came to her mind was what happened between her and Damon. Surely he didn't tell Rick… But then again they were pretty good friends. If you could call it that. They fought more than anything. But then she remembered about Klaus and Caroline and her mind relaxed a little. Surely that's what he was talking about.

Elena headed up to her room and showered. She put on fresh clothes and did her makeup. Paying special attention to the mark on her neck. When she was done you could barely see anything. She sighed and just stared at herself in the mirror. She reached to get her phone from her pocket, only to remember Rebekah had broken it.

She cursed under her breath. Elena looked at the clock on her night stand. It was only 10:26. She didn't exactly have to get back to Damon right away. She took a minute to decide what to do with her free time. She finally just plopped down in front of the TV downstairs. Deciding to take a minute to be a normal teenager.

She left it on reruns of 'I Love Lucy' and got comfortable.

Her thoughts drifted elsewhere. She thought about Damon. Even though her subconscious fought her. She thought about how she had gotten to bed. Did he carry her? The last thing she remembered was sobbing into his arms. She had a slight recollection of him pulling blankets over her and kissing her forehead… But she had thought that was just her imagination. Maybe it wasn't.

She touched her lips and instantly thought about his. How they felt on hers. His softness. But his tongue…. Heat immediately flooded her cheeks. But she kept thinking. She was headed down a path and she couldn't stop herself.

She remembered his tongue… The way it danced around with hers.. Not in a gross way. She had been in a few situations when that had happened to her. Matt had done it a couple of times when he was drunk.

But not Damon. He knew what he was doing. The thought of it made her warm.

And she kept going. She thought about his abs. How good they felt under her fingers. His body pressed firmly against hers. She was breathing hard again. She remembered when he kissed her neck… then her chest.. Then his mouth moving to touch her breasts. His soft lips so warm on her skin. She couldn't stop herself. She was caught up in her thoughts, getting turned on without even meaning to. Her body so warm she was actually working up a sweat.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by the door. Someone knocked so loud it made Elena jump.

She looked around, like she had been caught doing something bad.

She hopped to her feet, almost glad for the interruption.

But someone came bursting in before she had even took three steps.

"Elena Gilbert!" Caroline yelled as Elena turned the corner to see her friend standing there. She could tell right away Caroline was pissed. She had her arms crossed and that frown pressed onto her face.

"What the HELL were you thinking?" Caroline barked, "I cannot believe you would do something so stupid!"Elena just stood there, wincing every time Caroline screamed at her,

"Do you have any idea how I would've felt if she had killed you? I wouldn't be able to live with myself! God! Don't you ever think about anyone other than you!"

Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. She paused a moment before striking back.

"What the hell Caroline? I wasn't thinking about myself ! I went over there for you! I don't want him dragging you into this! He's sick and twisted and I won't just sit here while he screws with my friends! Don't you get that?"

"Yeah? Well I don't need you to look after me, Elena! I'm a big girl, I can handle this on my own! I don't need you to fight my battles for me anymore, okay? After all, I'm a vampire now for Christ's sake! I think I can handle it."

Elena just sighed and starred at her… "Like you wouldn't have done the same for me Care. You know you would have."

Caroline calmed down a little, "Yeah… Well there's a difference. I'm a vampire now, Elena. I can afford to do that kind of crazy shit. You…" Caroline paused, "You can't."

They both just starred for a minute before Elena broke the silence, "I know… I'm sorry. I just didn't think it through. I was upset and impulsive. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Caroline didn't say anything more. She walked over to Elena and hugged her.

"I know. And I didn't mean to worry you. I just didn't think Klaus's crush was a huge deal. I guess I shouldn't have said anything. "

Elena pulled away and looked at her, "No, no, no. I want you to be able to tell me these things, Care. It's what friends are for. " They smiled at each other. "And I promise I won't go all Kamikaze next time."

They both just laughed.

"So, your okay?" Caroline asked, looking her up and down/

"Yeah, I'm fine. Who told you anyway?"

"I couldn't get a hold of you, so I called Alaric. He told me what happened."

"Yeah, Rebekah the vamp slut broke my phone while she was going all psycho jealous on me." Elena huffed.

"Wait," Caroline said, "Jealous? Why was she jealous?"

Elena suddenly remembered that with all the crazy stuff going on, she hadn't told Caroline about Damon and Rebekah sleeping together the night after the ball.

"Yeaahhh…" Elena said, motioning Caroline to come sit on the couch, "So, you know how at the Mikaelson's ball I told you Damon and I had a fight?" Caroline nodded and Elena explained everything that had happened. She told her about the fight, then how Damon lashed out and slept with Rebekah, then how Elena had spouted off to Rebekah about only being Damon's distraction. Everything else was pretty much spelled out. Caroline's facial expression while Elena told her what she had said to Rebekah was priceless. Elena would have laughed if she hadn't been so concentrated on remembering the details.

"Wow.." Caroline said, when Elena had finished. "That's …. Intense." she giggled.

Elena rolled her eyes slightly, "You have no idea."

Caroline gave Elena a suspicious stare…

"What?" Elena asked

"Nothing…." Caroline paused, "Soooo…. What happened with you and Damon last night?"

Elena froze, unable to speak for a moment. "What? What do you mean? Nothing…"

"I mean like… Did you guys make up? Are you still fighting? Was it awkward?"

Elena sighed relief, "Oh.. Yeah. We made out."

Elena stopped herself in horror, Caroline's mouth dropping wide open.

"UP! I meant we made up!" Elena said, quickly trying to save herself.

Caroline closed her mouth but still looked at Elena in suspicion. "Elenaaaa?"

Elena looked sheepishly up at her best friend, knowing she couldn't keep this from her.

"What?" She asked, trying to keep calm.

"Don't give me that innocent puppy dog look… Something happened didn't it?"

Elena knew she had to come clean, "Okay… But I'm telling you this in confidence, Caroline. Not a word to anyone. Not even Bonnie."

Caroline shot up, "Not a word, I swear."

Elena was actually glad to be telling someone. She couldn't keep it inside forever. She would probably burst.

"Ok… I don't really know how it happened. But we sorta…. Um… made out."

Caroline just looked at her, "I kinda knew that already! You just said it. I want the dirty deets! Like I've said many times before -That's what your friends are for! To share the smut." She said with a little wink.

Elena chuckled slightly, then took a deep breath, preparing herself to tell the whole story.

"Ok.. So, when I got there and Stefan left, me and Damon talked. He apologized for what happened with Rebekah-"

Caroline interrupted, "Then what? You guys did it right there on the rug?" she asked, jokingly, giving Elena the eyebrow.

Elena just laughed, "No! Will you let me tell the story?"

"Well! I just wanna hear the juicy stuff! You're making me suffer."

"Fine.. But don't interrupt with questions because you don't know what's going on. Deal?"

Caroline just sighed, "Deal… Now get on with it!"

Elena continued, "I had a bad dream and Damon had just come out of the shower, "

Caroline's eye's then widened about 8 sizes.

"I didn't wanna be alone, and he was leaving. So I panicked and called him over to the bed. He laid with me for a while. Then he put his arm around me. That was fine. Then he snuggled his head into my neck. Which for some reason made my heart race… And you know… He's a vampire so he heard it. I think he took that as a sign… and he kissed my neck. "Caroline had the biggest, sappiest, face ever. Elena ignored it and carried on,

"It was just a little one… But… I made the stupid mistake of sighing.. Out loud. So naturally he did it again. And then I encouraged him by taking his hand… Which, again, was stupid."Caroline just rolled her eyes.

"And so he just kept kissing my neck! " Caroline stopped her, "Elena… Stop saying it like you didn't want him to. We both know you could have stopped him anytime.."

Caroline was right of course. But Elena ignored her comment and kept talking.

She told her about how he hit a soft spot and she couldn't control herself.

She told her how she had rolled under him and they starred at each other, and how she couldn't stop herself and she kissed him.

"Stop right there." Caroline intervened, "….How was it?" she asked Elena, with a slight smirk.

"You know what it's like to kiss him, Caroline. Hell, you've actually slept with him!"

"Yeah.. But I'm not you. He wasn't in love with me. I was just food for the weekend."

Elena frowned at the comment."But he's changed since then, Elena. We all know that. It's not hard to see."

Elena just shook her head.

"So tell me! Did his vamp kiss rock your world?"

Elena bit down a smile, "It was good…"

Caroline gave Elena a stern look..

"Okay fine! It was … Amazing.'"Caroline jumped a little on the couch. "I KNEW IT! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"I don't know what you want me to say!""Just finish the story you dip-head!"

Elena finished telling her about it. And how Stefan had called, interrupting the steamy scene.

After it was all out in the open, Elena sighed, feeling relieved to have it out of her system.

"Wow.." Was all Caroline had to say.

"Yeah… I know." Elena responded.

The girls just sat there.

"So…" Caroline said, suddenly becoming very serious, "What does this mean?"

Elena sighed… It was the question she had been dreading.

"Honestly, Care? … I think -"

Elena was interrupted by Caroline's phone.

Caroline handed it to her. "What?" Elena asked, confused.

"It's Damon."

(_Thank you all sooooo much for your wonderful reviews __J__ It means a lot! I know the Delena goodness got interrupted but trust me, they will get back there eventually. I just feel like Delena sex is a big deal. I don't wanna rush it. I try to make this as realistic as possible. Thanks again for your reviews! Xxx keep them coming 3 …I also don't know how long I want to make this story. Please tell me how you like it. If it keeps getting good reviews I will definitely keep writing! Ps. Sorry for the little mistakes. I made these in a hurry. I will try to do better if I make more chapters.)_


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Elena sighed as she took the phone from Caroline, "Hello?" she answered,

"Elena?" she heard him ask, sounding confused,

"Yes, its me." she answered sharply, "I tried calling your cell but you didn't pick up, so I tried Alaric. He told me you were with Blondie."

She paused for a minute, "My phone's broken. Thank Rebekah for that.. Why? What's wrong?" she was being kind of rude, but she didn't know how else to act. And Caroline staring at her certainly wasn't helping.

"Nothing… I just wanted to check in. You didn't come back and you weren't answering your phone.. So I just - " He stopped. Elena felt a little guilty that she hadn't called him, she just hadn't expected him to be worried, "Sorry… I didn't think. Caroline came over and we were talking and I guess I forgot-" He interrupted her, "Relax. It's not a big deal,"

She felt even worse. She knew he had probably gotten lonely. He couldn't go anywhere or do anything. "Well, I'll be back over there in a few… Caroline was just leaving." Elena said quickly, looking at Caroline and mouthing a 'Sorry'.

Damon's voice seemed to brighten at that, "Oh, okay. Well.. I'll be here… Not like I have a choice." He said, she could here his smirk through the phone. She smiled and hung up. Handing the phone back to Caroline.

She looked up to see her friend just giving her a blank stare. "I'm sorry.. He's just trapped in there. I feel bad." Elena said, giving Caroline her best puppy look. "No, it's fine," Caroline said, throwing up her hands in resign, "Go have fun with the man-whore vampire," she said with a sarcastic smile. Elena just rolled her eyes, "He'll be free soon. Stefan should be back sometime today. Then I'm all yours." Elena patted Caroline on the shoulder. "Then can we finish this conversation?" Caroline asked, looking back at Elena as she walked to the front door. "Yes." was all Elena replied.

"And who knows… You might even have some more juicy information to add after this afternoon." Caroline winked at her. Elena rolled her eyes again, something she was getting pretty good at, and opened the door for her friend, "Goodbye, Caroline."

"Toodles! Have fun."

Elena watched Caroline as she got into her car.

Then she ran back upstairs to grab her things.

She gathered what she needed and paused in front of her mirror, straightening herself out. She added a little mascara and let her hair down. When she was satisfied, she headed back out the door, leaving a note for Alaric on the table.

**. . .**

Damon was going crazy. He had been bored all day. And he didn't do bored. He would be the first to admit he was not a patient guy. Plus being all alone in this house, with only his scotch and his thoughts to keep him company… Let's just say it wasn't a good mix. He'd already read every book they owned. Some of them almost putting him to sleep. He poured himself another glass and decided to mess around on the Piano in the parlor. He hadn't played in a while but he still remembered the basics. He played the first song that came to his mind. 'Empty' by Laura McMillan. He played it softly, letting his mind guide him. He was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't heard Elena come in.

She just stood there watching him. She smiled, thinking how natural it all looked. His face was so peaceful. She leaned against the door post and listened. She didn't recognize the song, but it was beautiful. She wondered if he wrote it. As he played she could almost imagine him being human. She let that thought settle. She imagined him like that for a minute, just a normal man. Her mind questioned what he would've been like, before he turned. She imagined he was probably really… Sweet. He could be such an ass sometimes but.. Elena knew it was an act. She could see right through it. Damon had his soft side. He opened it to her a lot. She didn't know if she was the only one. Her thoughts were interrupted when he stopped.

"Hello, Elena." he said, not bothering to look up from the piano,

"What gave me away?" she asked, smiling a little. "Heartbeat," he answered, looking up at her, his eyes intense. They just stared at each other for a minute. Elena finally had to look away, feeling like if she stared into his eyes any longer she might actually fall into them. "I didn't know you played." she stated, keeping her eyes on the carpet.

"I don't really. I haven't in years, anyway." He said, taking a sip of his scotch and standing up. He walked straight towards her. "It sounded good to me." she said, glancing up at him nervously. He paused in front of her for a brief second, looking her up and down. He grinned. "You play any?" He asked, his eyes trying to meet hers. "I took a few lessons when I was a kid." She answered, meeting his gaze once again.

"Show me." He said, gesturing his head towards the piano.

Two little words. Two simple words set her heart alight. She hated how he did that. She didn't like feeling out of control like this. But she complied and moved to the Piano. She sat down and played a little tune. Feeling slightly embarrassed after his performance. He had such a grace, and all she did was clunk around like a 3 year old. She heard him walk up behind her. Next thing she knew, his hands were on top of hers. His face coming to rest on the side of her own. "Here," he whispered softly, "Relax your hands." He entwined their fingers, guiding them lightly across the white and black keys. The sound was simple but beautiful. His breath floated into her ear, making it hard to concentrate. She closed her eyes for a brief second. Letting him take full control. She felt his pace slowing and his fingers leaving hers. But his breath still on her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Their faces inches apart.

She shook herself and shifted away from him. Ending the moment. He straightened himself, grabbed his scotch, and walked away. She turned to see him leaving. Feeling a pang of regret, she stood and followed him. They ended up in the living room.

"So, have you heard from Stefan?" She asked.

He turned and looked at her sharply, slanting his eyes. She immediately wished she hadn't said anything. "No.. Nothing since this morning." He bit back. She could tell he was irritated.

"Look, Damon…." She began, rubbing her sweaty palms, "I think we should talk." …she fought down her fear and took a few steps towards him.. "Talk about what, Elena?" he asked, sneering at her slightly.

She sighed out loud and crossed her arms, "Acting like it didn't happen is pointless. And it's only gonna make things worse."

His head snapped up, "Worse?" he asked angrily, setting his glass down again, leering at her.

"No.. That's not what I meant." she said, looking at the floor.

He walked towards her, "No, I get it, Elena. What happened last night was a mistake. You regret it and wish it had never happened. I know." He said, bitterness in his voice. He started to turn away and she stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Hey, Its not like that!" she said, her hands starting to shake a little. "I.. I don't regret it." ….. He looked up at her. She could see the littlest bit of hope in his eyes.

She continued, "You didn't do anything I didn't let you do…" She brought her hands to his face, locking their eyes together. He smiled a little, "You sure about that?.. You were trying awful hard to hide that hickey from me this morning." he raised his eyebrows and just grinned at her.

She felt heat rising to her cheeks. "I just.. I don't want you to feel guilty. You shouldn't have to... You were there for me. And I want you to know that it means a lot." She stroked his face a few times before letting her hands drop back down to her side. She was glad she said it.

Damon just stared at her. His lips parted slightly. She took in a deep breath and started to turn away, but his arm caught her, causing her to turn and look at him. As soon as she did, his lips met hers.

She inhaled him sharply, totally taken by surprise. His hand snaked around her back and pulled her closer to him. She pulled away fast, placing a hand on his chest. "What are you doing?" she managed to say, though it sounded much breathier than she intended. "Just..Trust me." was all he said. And somehow she couldn't find a reason to stop him. She just stood there as he pulled her body close his once again, his lips melting into hers, kissing her tenderly. And she let him. His kiss making tiny explosions run all through her body. He brought his hand to the back of her neck. "I've missed you," he mumbled against her lips. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His tongue finding hers. She loved the way he kissed her. He melted her whole. "I missed you too," she responded as best she could.

She ran her fingers through his hair and he let his hands roam her back. He made a moaning sound as she bit down on his lip. Just hard enough to cause pleasure, not pain. Not that she could've hurt him. That seemed to ignite him. He kissed her so hard, she rose to her tip toes. Lifting her slightly off her feet, he let his hands find her ass and gripped it hard. She let out a small moan. Damon picked her up and she curled her legs around his waist, clutching him firmly. He moved fast, finding a wall to brace them. Small sighs of pleasure escaping his lips. He kissed her like he would never kiss her again. So much fire. She lifted her head, allowing him to explore her neck. He wasn't as gentle this time. His lips pulling and grabbing at her skin. She couldn't breathe. She tried to grip the wall, attempting to steady herself. She was hot, everywhere his lips touched, a fire spread. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Her head was screaming at her. But there was no turning back now. They were both panting. He grabbed at her shirt, getting ready to pull it over her head.

But Damon froze. They both heard it. And it hadn't come from either one of them. It was a car door slamming. They looked at each other, panic and confusion plain on their faces… It took a minute to sink in.

"Oh shit…" were the first words out of Damon's mouth.

_(Don't hate me! I know they keep getting interrupted at the good part. If you like the story just have patience. I swear it will happen soon. They get cockblocked all the time in the show! Haha, anyway, I wanna make this story last. I feel like if they do it so soon, then there wouldn't be anywhere to go. Thanks for your wonderful reviews! I take the time to read every one of them. I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I'll make up for it in the next one. Please, please, please continue reviewing. It gives me the much needed motivation to do this. I really hope you like it. Much love and thanks! Xx)_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Damon released Elena from his grip and they immediately backed away from each other, fixing their clothes. Elena pulled her shirt back down and looked at her hands, shaking a little. Her body running off adrenaline, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her mind and heart both racing. Then they heard the front door open.

Damon gave her a brief look, then walked stiffly into the foyer to see Stefan and an older Lady coming in the door. Stefan saw Damon and he paused, noticing his face first, it was a jumbled mess of open emotions. Then he noticed his clothes. Damon's shirt was torn open on the shoulder, it looked like claw marks, his pants were twisted sideways and his hair was a floppy mess. Fear stuck Stefan.. Werewolf was all that came to his mind. The claw marks, a sign of a tussle. It all made Stefan shift nervously."Damon?" Stefan asked cautiously.

Then Elena appeared, slowly emerging from the shadowed hallway. Stefan observed her as well. She seemed frightened. Shaking a little, her face was pale, her hair in disarray, much like Damon's. Something was definitely wrong.

Stefan stared at them both. "What's going on?" he asked, "You two look like hell."

Damon and Elena looked at each other, and Stefan realized. It wasn't a Werewolf.

"It's..Nothing," Damon said, looking back at Stefan. "Who's this?" he asked, motioning to the elder lady standing there, awkwardly observing the whole scene.

Stefan cleared his throat, "This is Elvira. I met her family back in 1912. I did some digging and found her. She's apparently had a lot of experience with these kinds of spells." She shook her head in a silent agreement. "Great," Damon began, "I couldn't take another second of being cooped up in here."

Stefan just glared at him, "Well it looks like you've been managing just fine." his words dripping with contempt, looking at Damon, then to Elena. Damon could tell he knew and he hung his head slightly, turning to lock eyes with Elena.

Her face was frozen. She was a brick wall. No emotion on her face whatsoever, just a blank look. If you didn't look close enough you wouldn't think she was even breathing.

Then the witch spoke, startling everyone out of their trance. "If you would guide me to an unaccompanied room where I may begin the ritual, Stefan?" Her accent was peculiar, it almost sounded French. "Yes, of course," He lead her towards the basement, "Right this way."

Stefan glanced back at them once before he melted out of sight.

Damon heard Elena breathe out a long sigh. He turned to look at her, not really knowing what he should do.

"Don't," was all she said.

"Elena," he paused, she just shook her head. "I can't Damon… I just… I can't….. Please." her last word was barely a whisper, but Damon heard it loud and clear.

His heart ached, all he wanted to do was hold her. He just wanted to comfort her somehow. He hated seeing her this way, and knowing he was partly to blame for it made it so much worse.

But Damon knew all she really needed right now was space, so no matter how bad it hurt him, he walked past her. Giving her shoulder a little squeeze before he left her alone, standing in the foyer.

Elena didn't grab her keys, she didn't bother getting her coat or her shoes, she just ran. She thundered out the door, into the cold rain that had started to pour down. She ran with all she had. The coldness feeling so good on her warm skin. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. She just needed to be anywhere else. She needed to be away from the Salvatore's. Her heart racing wildly. She entered the woods, the tree's covering her in blackness. She kept running, her body screaming for her to stop. But she pushed on. It was now so dark she didn't see the large limb in her path. She tripped over it, hurling her body to the ground face first.

She groaned in pain, feeling her shoulder throb. She looked up into the blackness, cold drops of rain occasionally falling into her eyes, making her blink.

Then she cried.

She let it all out. Heart-wracking sobs that shook her body forcefully. She curled her knees up to her chest and just lay there. Mud soaking her skin and clothes.

She didn't know how much time had passed as she cried, and she didn't care. It was all too much. Her heart didn't know where it belonged.

The sound of a branch snapping made her jerk to life. She looked up, trying to make sense of the black shadows around her. It was no use. She couldn't see a damn thing.

Then she heard the noise again. This time it was closer. Elena jumped up, suddenly realizing how stupid it was to come out here alone. She shook off some leaves and twigs that had stuck to her clothing and hair. She tried to keep as quiet as possible, listening for another movement in the mysterious shadows.

She waited several minutes and didn't hear anything. Deciding it was probably in her head she slowly moved back in the direction she came.

A low growl and bright yellow eyes, watched her from behind.

**. . .**

Damon poured himself another glass of bourbon, swirling the drink around lightly.

He gulped it down in one swallow, then poured another.

"Better slow down, brother. You being drunk and upset doesn't blend well." Stefan said as he entered the living room. "Oh I'm not upset.. I don't do upset." Damon said, emphasizing the 't' on the end of his words. He took another drink.

"Right, you just get vengeful… So what? You gonna hit me for interrupting your little quality time with Elena?" Stefan said, smirking, "Speaking of Elena, where did she run off to?"

Damon didn't think it was funny. He just turned and stared at his younger brother. "Don't know, don't care." He said bitterly as he slammed his glass down on the in-table.

"Ahh, we both know that's not true." Stefan said, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"What do you want, Stefan? If your just here to play games, then please, by all means.. Fuck off." Damon growled as he brushed by Stefan.

"Wow," was all Stefan said, causing Damon to turn and stop.

"She must really be under your skin. I haven't seen you like this since… Well, never." Stefan continued, "I mean, what did you think was gonna happen, Damon? Did you think she was gonna spend the summer with you, get to know you, then what? Did you really expect her to ..fall in love with you?"

Damon snapped. In seconds he had Stefan by the throat. He threw his brother across the room and crashed him into the wall. But it didn't seem to have any effect, Stefan was back on his feet in the blink of an eye. He grabbed Damon by his shirt and slammed him down onto the stairs, grinding his back into the sharp steps. Damon kicked his brother off him and grabbed a chair, swinging it right into his brothers head. Stefan stumbled back, dizzy from the contact. He expected Damon to be on him by now, throwing punches. But Damon didn't advance.

Stefan, shocked, looked up to see him just standing there. The look on his face unreadable.

"I'm not gonna fight you, Stefan." Damon's voice broke slightly, "You already won."

Stefan couldn't believe what he had just heard. He watched as Damon climbed the stairs and disappeared around the corner. Stefan felt the slightest pang of guilt, but he immediately blocked it out. Ripper Stefan didn't feel guilty, he didn't feel anything.

"It is finished." Stefan turned around to see Elvira.

"The spell is lifted. But it is not safe for him to leave this house quite yet." she told him.

"Why?" Stefan asked quizzically. "While the spell is lifted, the magic still lies around the threshold. If he leaves the magic could still be harmful to him. Causing severe internal pain."

"What do you mean? What kind of pain?"

"Things such as massive head injuries, internal hemorrhaging, etcetera. The house needs to detoxify. I've placed candles all around the sensitive areas. It should be safe in ..about 24 hours."

Stefan shook his head, acknowledging.

"C'mon, a deal's a deal. I'll take you home now." Stefan told her.

And they left.

Damon tugged his shirt off and flung it on his bed, cursing the blood stains that covered the back. He just bought that shirt. He stumbled around until he found a shirt he was fond of. Black paisley button up. He slipped it over his shoulders but didn't bother to button it.

He grabbed his bottle of whiskey, not even bothering to use a glass, he took a huge chug.

It burned all the way down. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and walked over to the window. Staring out at the bleak rainy weather. He relaxed his shoulders, closed his eyes, and listened to the rain. It calmed him. He let his ears pick up every sound. The rain drops splashing, the birds moving in the tree's, the dog that barked in the distance. But then he heard something that wasn't ordinary. His eyes jerked open, and he listened intently. He heard.. Feet? Yes, running feet. And then… Something heavier. It was heavier than the sound of the feet, but it was moving fast. It came closer, he heard it more distinctly. He heard panting breaths, and growls. Then he heard something that made his stomach drop.

A scream.

He recognized it was Elena in a heartbeat. Faster than lightening he was outside, forgetting about the spell, he ran through the woods towards the sound. He heard her scream again, this time it wasn't just a scream. She was screaming his name.

"Damon!" Elena cried out, tears running down her fear-struck face, "Damon! Oh god, please, Damon, Help!" She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. Her legs and lungs ached unbearably. She knew whatever was chasing her was only a few feet behind.

Suddenly, a gush of wind flew around her, and before she knew it, she was in someone's arms. Everything blurred and the wind whipped at her face harshly. Before she knew what had happened, she was back out into the light., being set on her feet.

She swayed slightly, all the pressure and dizziness washing over her from head to toe.

Strong arms braced her. She looked up to see Damon. Staring down at her with intense blue eyes. Worry plain on his face.

"Hey, hey.." he said softly, running his hand over her muddy face. Rain pouring off his face. "It's alright, your safe. It's okay." he said in soft little tones, as he stroked her hair. She felt herself relax into him. He pulled her tightly to his chest, gripping her in bear hug. "What was that?" she asked, cringing at the memory of seeing those bright yellow eyes. "It was just a wolf, your okay." She leaned back a bit, taking him in. His shirt was open and muscles were soaking wet. ALL of him was soaking wet. She ran her hands down the open shirt, her fingers brushing over his rock hard abs. Heat immediately rising in her cheeks. She cursed herself. Shaking her head in anger.

"_Just_ a wolf?" she barked out, startling him,

"That thing almost ate me and your acting like its no big deal? Just because its not super-natural doesn't mean its not dangerous, Damon!"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He released her from his hold, staring at her in shock.

"What the hell? I just saved your life and your yelling at me for trying to comfort you?" He yelled, "Well excuse me for caring!"

Elena didn't know what to say. He was right of course. She didn't know what came over her. He just saved her and she was biting his head off over what? She was only really mad because she let herself be attracted to him. Just saying all this in her mind made her gawk at herself. She had serious issues.

"I know! Okay? I'm sorry! It's just…" she paused, shaking her head.

"It's just what, Elena?" he said loudly, not quite yelling, but she could see he was aggravated.

"It's ..nothing. Never mind." she started to walk back towards the house.

Damon stopped her, grabbing her arm, "No! Tell me, what is it, Elena? After everything that's happened today and last night, we might as well get it all out."

She yanked her arm from his grip, anger and fear burning in her chest, "I can't, Damon! Okay? I just can't!"

He wasn't gonna let it go, "Why not, Elena? Just say it! Just go ahead and tell me! Tell me how much you love Stefan! Tell me how its always gonna be Stefan! Tell me that what happened between us doesn't mean anything to you!"

His yelling hurt more than just her ears, it sank deeper than that. She punched him in the chest, but he didn't stop.

"Go back in there and jump into my brothers arms. Go back in there and feel safe. Go back to how everything was before. Back when I didn't complicate things, and it was just you and your prince charming!"

She was crying again, punching his chest wildly, "Stop it! Just stop!"

Damon did stop, but just for a second. He looked at her and felt nothing but guilt. He spoke again, but it was soft this time. "Just tell me you'll never love me, Elena. Tell me I'm not good enough. Go ahead an-" she slapped him, right across the face.

"Don't you ever say that." she said flatly. He just looked at her with anger and shock.

"Don't you dare say that ever again, Damon Salvatore." hearing her say his name like that made him shiver. Even now, during all this, she still got to him.

"Don't you ever think your not good enough!" tears and rain running down her mud streaked face, "You know I don't think that! You know I care, Damon! And you know what happened meant something to me!" she screamed.

His breathing got heavier, she needed to stop, or he wouldn't be able to stop himself from doing what he knew he shouldn't.

"And.. I'm not gonna tell you I'll never love you! Because…" her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn't stop herself, "Because I do love you, Damon!"

She barely got those last words out before he growled and took her back in his arms. He kissed her so hard her knees went weak. His cold lips felt good against hers. He didn't care that she was covered in mud, he ran his hands all down her small and fragile body. Making her shiver with pleasure. She let her hands run through his hair, as his tongue danced with hers. She pulled on the back of his head, trying to make him closer to her somehow. His lips left hers for a brief second only to come crashing back down on them again. She made a moaning sound as he pulled her body closer to his. His hand came to grab her ass quickly and he let it go, but she stopped him before he could, pulling his hand back to her ass she made him squeeze it again, harder this time. Damon moaned, incredibly turned on by her demands. She smiled against his kiss. Getting totally lost in him. Nothing else mattered other than right now. Now that she had said it, she felt to free. She loved Damon Salvatore.

_**(Thanks for being so patient guys! I've had a little trouble getting motivated to write, especially after the season finale. How depressing was that! I cried waayyyyy too much. Its probably not healthy to get so attached to a fictional couple. Elena's a vamp now? Wow, right? I have a good idea for a new fic because of that. Vamp Elena will be fun to play with. Anyways, your patience with me will pay off in the next chap! The smut gets a little intense.. Just a warning. Sorry for making you all wait 10 chapters before giving you some action haha. I'm cruel. **__**à Reviews are all that's keeping me going at this point. So please, please, let me know what you think. Thoughts, suggestions, and critique are much appreciated. See you in the next chapter! ;) ) **_


	10. Chapter 10

_**CHAPTER 10**_

Damon inhaled sharply. The weight that had been lifted from his chest was now in his head. Something wasn't right. The pain had started light but it was growing fast. He released Elena from his grip and stumbled backwards. It was then he realized what had happened.

He left the house.

He was so concerned with Elena's safety, he had totally and completely forgotten about the spell.

He cried out, the pain was becoming unbearable.

Elena grabbed his shoulders as he fell to his knees.

"Damon! The spell! We need to get you back in the house! NOW!" she screamed,

She gripped his shoulders and helped pull him up back onto his feet. Wrapping her arms around his, she guided him safely back inside the house. Just as Damon was walking into the living area, the pain tripled.

"Argh!" he cried out, as he hit the floor, taking Elena down with him.

Elena landed hard on the wooden floor, her teeth biting into her lip and drawing blood in the process.

She rolled over, trying to gather herself. Damon's painful cries were loud in her ears.

Elena, panicked, crouched beside him,

"Damon! Damon, what's going on? We're back inside! Shouldn't the pain have gone away? What do I do?"

Damon managed to creak out a strangled response. So rough, Elena had to strain to understand him,

"Get… Stefan!"

Elena immediately jumped up and ran into the basement, shouting Stefan's name. Where was he? Surely he had heard Damon yelling. She checked the entire cellar but Stefan was nowhere to be found. She quickly ran back to where she had left Damon laying, cradling his head.

"He's not here! I can't find him or Elvira!"

"Phone… My pocket… Call," He managed,

Elena quickly rummaged his pockets until she found his phone. Taking no time at all, she dialed Stefan.

"Yeah?" Stefan answered,

"Stefan! Where are you?! Damon… Something's wrong! He went outside and now his head is.. He can't stop screaming. What do I do?"

She heard Stefan mumbling words, she assumed to Elvira. Then he returned to the conversation.

"Elena, listen to me, I need you to go to the Kitchen. In the cabinet under the sink, there should be a steel container full of Rose glycerite. It's written on the top. It won't taste good, but you have to make Damon swallow it. And hurry!"

Elena did as she was told and dashed into the Kitchen. She found and returned with the herbs, kneeling down to Damon once again.

"I know you're not gonna like this but you have to swallow this. Please, Damon. Hurry."

Elena helped him up into sitting position. Handing him the stale herbs, he quickly shoved them into his mouth.

He cringed at the flaky bitter-ness. They scraped at his throat and tasted absolutely vile. But he managed to gag them down.

All at once Damon's vision went blurry. The only thing he could hear was the faint sound of Elena's voice, yelling his name.

Everything blurred into a white nothing-ness as his conscious gave way.

Elena shook him, scared to death. He wasn't moving! Tears streaming down her muddy face.

She scanned the floor around her frantically until she found the cell phone again.

"Stef- Stef-Stefan! He's not moving! He jus-just passed out! Wha-what's going on, what's happening?"

"Elena, calm down. It's okay. It's what's supposed to happen. The herbs just knocked him out, when he wakes up the pain should be gone."

Elena sighed what felt like the biggest sigh of her life. She slumped down, finally feeling like she could breathe.

"Everything will be fine. But Elvira said his body temperature will drop in the next 20 minutes or so. So you should probably make sure he gets warm. Maybe see if you can get him close to the fire."

"Okay… I will." she said, forcibly getting past the frog in her throat.

"He'll be okay, Elena. Everything will be okay. Trust me. . ." Stefan tried, soothingly.

Elena didn't respond. She couldn't. She could only let the silent tears run down her cheeks and fall onto her lap. She just stared at him. Damon. Lying there on the floor. He looked so helpless and… dead. It was a long time until she heard Stefan's voice over the speaker again.

"Cover him up. I'm taking care of things here, but I'll be back as soon as I can." Stefan said, hanging up.

Elena let the phone drop to the floor. She paused for a moment …then scooted over to Damon. She reached out, touching his face. He was like ice.

She gathered what strength she had and dragged him over a short distance until he was in front of the fireplace.

She then pulled off his soaking wet shirt and shoes. Dragging the blankets from the couch, she covered him and rested his head underneath a throw pillow.

All that was left to do, was wait…

(_**Wow.. it has been FOREVER since I have wrote for this fic. I have a good explanation for making you guys wait this long though! The computer I was using to write broke down and was unfixable **____** But my bf is letting me use his MacBook for the week, so that's how I'm writing now. I am gonna try to put all the delish smut into the next two chaps. I should have it all done no later than today. I am SO sorry for making you guys wait THIS long to read the 10**__**th**__** chapter. Wow. But I am gonna try to make it up to you. Thanks for being SO patient with me. You guys rock xo. I got an email about one review and that's what inspired me to write again. You all have been nothing but sweet to me. Thanks for the positive words. KEEPTHEMCOMING**__! __**Bless your faces! **____** )**_


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

Damon's eyes burned painfully as he opened them. He squinted, slowly readjusting his focus on the ceiling above him. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts. All he knew was that the pain was gone. He was still a little sore though. He tried to sit up, but soon found he couldn't, and resigned to laying his head back down on the soft pillow.

The heat from the fireplace burned the side of his face. He shifted onto his side, pulling the throw blanket up close around his shoulders. That's when he saw her. She was on the floor only a few feet away from him, her head leaning up against the couch. She was out... dead asleep. He had always loved to watch her sleep. Not in a creepy way. She always just looked so peaceful.

Damon reached out to push back a strand of fallen hair off her forehead. It was then he noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. He looked around until he spotted it lying on the chair that was across the room. He sighed aloud, struggling to get up. He tried not to make too much noise, worried that he would wake her. But it was no use. Her eyes shot open just as he got to his feet.

"Hey," she said, yawning,

He gave her a slight smile, "Hey."

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and ran her long fingers through her slightly tangled hair. Damon eyed her. The tousled look suited her good.

She smiled up at him, breaking his train of thought.

"How're you feeling?" she said, in a cute raspy, just woke up voice.

"Great, thanks. Rose Glycerite, I presume?"

She was confused for a second, until she realized what he was referring to.

"Oh, yeah. It was Stefan's idea."

There was a pause in the conversation.

"Good ole' Stefan," Damon said, shaking his head, "Leave it to him to chose the most damn disgusting herb we own."

Elena smiled apologetically.

"He knows… You know that right?" Damon stated it with little to no emotion. He wasn't sure how to handle the subject of Stefan with her just yet.

"Yeah…" she sighed, "I figured. How's he taking it?"

"Oh you know, he'll brood, self loath, hide it all inside and take his frustrations out on his hero hair. Just the normal routine," Damon said with a slight sarcastic grin.

"Damon," she said sternly,

"He's not himself right now, Elena. Just because he's out from under Klaus' wing doesn't mean he's back to being his normal saint self. He hardly reacted."

Elena didn't know whether to believe that or not. He was still Stefan. He still cared for her… Didn't he?

It didn't really matter, in any case. She would always love Stefan, but he wasn't her burden to carry anymore. She knew deep down that too much had happened between them for it to ever be the same. Being with him didn't feel good anymore. When he looked at her, all she could see was pain. And that's not right. Love can't be that way. Love is supposed to make you feel happy, passionate, alive, free. But yet it's also dangerous, because it's unknown. The passion is all in the risk you take. And she was taking that risk… With Damon.

It was the first time in her life she actually felt like she was doing something she WANTED to do. And that made her happy. With Matt, it was like she owed him. They wanted to see if they could be more. But when he talked about their future, it made her cringe. Deep down, she knew she didn't love him the same way he loved her. And as much as it hurt, she had to let him go.

With Stefan? She needed him. More than she had ever needed anyone! And it was comforting to have him. He was her safety net from life… and death. But somewhere along the way, things changed. She changed. And she wasn't sorry. Because it had brought her here… to him.

She looked up at Damon. Having the first real moment of clarity. She wasn't sorry. She didn't feel guilty! Loving him was okay. It was more than okay. More than ever, it's what she wanted.

Damon smiled, "What?" he asked,

Elena stood to her feet, determined.

"I'm not sorry." She stated, her voice shaking slightly

Damon looked confused, "Sorry for what?" he asked.

"For loving you." she said.

His head jerked up, and his eyes locked with her eyes.

"I know you think you don't deserve me. I know you think I'll go running back to Stefan the first chance I get. But I won't. It's you, Damon. It's always been you."

He couldn't believe the words he was hearing. He wanted to believe them, but he couldn't. It felt like a dream. It felt like he was about to wake up, or Stefan would come running in the door and steal her away. But he could see it in her eyes. She meant it.

"And I don't feel guilty, I feel good. I feel happy! I am happy! You made me this way. For the first time in my life I feel like I'm really alive. And I'm not afraid, I'm not hiding from it. Not anymore. I love you, Damon! I love-"

She didn't get any farther than that. He had crossed the room and she was in his arms. It wasn't a sweet kiss. It was powerful, like he poured every bit of himself into it. He snaked his tongue smoothly across hers, making her mind go fuzzy. She ran her hands up, down and all around his chest. His shirt was on, but unbuttoned.

She took advantage of it. Damon took the lead and pushed her up against the wall beside the fireplace. He was done being gentle. He had a fire inside him and she was the only source of relief.

He took her hands and pinned them against the wall behind them. Breaking the kiss, he stared at her. The room quiet except for their harsh breaths.

He stared at her until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Please," she whispered.

She didn't have to ask twice.

He crushed his body against hers, melting their lips together.

It was the best kiss she ever had, making her knees go weak and heat rise in low places.

"I want you," he whispered against her mouth, in between soft staccato kisses.

He didn't need to say it. Elena could already feel the bulge in his pants. But just hearing him say it made her wet.

She continued to kiss him while his hands roamed up her soft thighs. He stopped at the hem of her skirt, making her pant. He was torturing her on purpose. Two could play that game. She ran her hands all down his chest. Down, down, until she brushed the bulge in his pants.

He sucked in his breath. He was done playing games.

He jerked her off her feet, wrapping her legs around his perfect waist. His hands sliding under her skirt, he grabbed her thighs and curled his fingers around them to hold her up. His fingers were just close enough to graze her wetness. She moaned.

He moved them towards the stairs, kissing her hard. He climbed the first few, his hips thrusting with each step, driving Elena crazy. When they finally reached the bedroom, he was kissing her neck. She loved it when he did that. His lips were so soft and skilled. He knew just were to put pressure. They reached the bed and Damon dropped her onto it. He came down on top of her, kissing her neck again, but this time he headed farther south. His hands grabbed at the bottom of her shirt pulling it up over her soft skin. Once it was off her, he threw it to the ground.

She was wearing a black lace strapless bra.

Admiring her with hunger, he then returned his mouth to her chest. Kissing all around, nipping and licking everywhere he could. He reached his hands around her back, and unsnapped her bra with no trouble at all. He pulled it away, exposing her aching breasts. She laughed to herself silently, wondering how many times he had done that before.

Elena's hands gripped the sheets as his mouth consumed her breats. His tongue moving, sucking. This right here could be enough to send her over the edge. But just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, he stopped.

He moved his mouth farther down, placing light kisses all over her tight stomach. Elena watched him as he went. When he reached the top button of her skirt, he kissed all around her waistline, teasing her.

"Damon," she said softly, urging him on.

He flicked the first button open in the blink of an eye. Then, taking the zipper in his teeth, his slowly unzipped her. She started to breathe even harder, knowing what was coming next. He yanked her skirt all the way down past her knees, letting it hit the floor.

And there she was before him, nothing on but her black panties. He looked her over for a minute, taking it all in. He was really here. He was really doing this.

He reached down and started just below her knees, kissing, working his way up her long legs. She shivered, enjoying every touch. It was getting harder and harder to breath as his lips reached her upper thighs. He went back and forth between them, kissing her left, then kissing her right. She squirmed in anticipation.

When he finally reached the top, it was all she could do not to scream.

She bit her lip, hard, drawing blood, the same spot she had fallen and bitten it before.

He smelt it right away. Her blood always smelt good. Not bitter like most. It was sweet.

He climbed up to meet her mouth, kissing it, sucking at her lip. He could taste the little bit of blood on his tongue.

While keeping her mouth busy, he reached his hands down, hooking his fingers in the band of her panties, and jerked them off.

Elena slid her hands in the collar of his shirt, and pushed it off his shoulders. He pressed his bare chest against hers. He was so warm.

She fumbled around until she found the buckle of his jeans. Undoing it as fast as she could.

After she successfully unbuckled them, she grabbed the bottom of them between her toes and forced them down.

He smiled at her, "You'll do anything to get me naked, won't ya?"

She smiled coyly in return, placing a brief kiss on his jaw.

Damon slid his hands down her thighs, stopping under her knees and jerking them up.

He moved down, spreading her legs farther apart. He positioned himself right at her entry. He waited a few minutes, building Elena's anticipation to the point she was almost dripping.

Then he kissed her. She sighed and clenched the bed.

He began to lick her, moving his tongue all around. He was so good. Elena moaned and moaned. She couldn't help it.

He didn't stop. She squirmed and moaned and clenched the bed as hard as she could. She was almost there, she could feel it. She cried out, she couldn't take it anymore. But Damon stopped.

"Not yet," he said, his voice deep.

Elena sighed, she needed release. She ached and throbbed in a way she never had before. She needed him. He laid her legs back down, rubbing them. She closed her eyes, concentrating on his touch.

She heard him stand up, she heard him take off his underwear and let it fall to the ground. The mere sound of it made her muscles clench.

She opened her eyes, and she saw him. Her heart rate picked up and little gusts of air escaped her mouth. He looked so good.

Of course she had seen it before… unintentionally. But it was covered in soap and suds then. Now she could see everything. And he had every right to be confident about it.

She repositioned herself, laying her head on the pillows at the top of the bed. He followed her up, never breaking eye contact.

His eyes were beautiful. They shone so bright you would almost think they glowed. They were the kind of eyes you could easily get lost in.

Damon grabbed her wrists, pinning them on either side of her head.

He kissed her entire face, starting with her forehead. He kissed her nose, he kissed her eye-lids, he kissed all along her jaw, taking her breath away.

Then finally, he kissed her lips. Passionately, forcefully, but most of all sweetly. As they kissed, tongues raging, he spread her legs slightly apart.

Elena knew this was it. She was ready. So ready.

Damon's head touched the tip of her, making her gasp. He teased her a few times, barely touching her, but just enough to make her groan with need.

Her hands still pinned, he reached up and intertwined his fingers with her own.

And then he went in, all the way. Elena screamed passionately.

Damon's breathing became heavy, panting. And he started to move. Pushing and pushing. She felt so, so good. He filled her up completely.

He pulled out, then thrust back inside her. She cried out again, squeezing his hands as hard as she could.

He made love to her. He loved her. And she loved him. Elena had never felt so close to anyone.

He didn't stop, he humped her hard. She couldn't control herself anymore. She felt it rising, building, until finally, she came. It was amazing. Everything went out of focus. Her whole body tingling, her toes scrunched. It was like a wonderful explosion of fireworks were going off inside of her. She cried, but not because she was sad.

She whispered his name, over and over again. It took no time after that for Damon to come too. He moaned into her ear as he finished.

When it was over, he just stayed inside her for a moment. Laying there, holding her. Everything was perfect. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could ever ruin this moment. This moment was theirs… Forever.

Damon had, had sex many times. But nothing, and no one, had ever meant this much to him.

He kissed her once more before pulling out and rolling over. Both of them panting.

Elena smiled.

So that is what it's like… Having sex with Damon Salvatore. She had no complaints. She could honestly say from experience that he was the best she'd ever had. Every time before, it had always been safe or... awkward.

But Damon knew what he was doing.

She propped herself up on one elbow and looked at him. Memorizing his face. Every line, every crease, every dip and dive. He was beautiful. And he was hers.

He turned on his side and retuned her stare. He used the tip of his index finger to trail a line down her face, kissing the tip of her nose in the process. She closed her eyes and sighed, soaking in all the feelings.

"I love you," she whispered, opening her eyes

"And I love you back," he whispered in return, "And I'm happy. Really happy."

**(**_**WOW GUYS. Haha I finally did it! Lol, sorry if it was sloppy in some area's :/ …I was rushed. If this chapter gets good reviews, I WILL HAPPILY write more! Maybe a morning after scene ;) *wink *wink. That could be fun! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you'll review. You all have been so nice and supportive. I can't thank you enough. Xoxo review, review, review, and maybe I'll see you all again soon!) **_


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